Non-motoring > Nazanin Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Manatee Replies: 18

 Nazanin - Manatee
Very happy to see this lady released at last and properly reunited with her husband and daughter.

Being female, and a bit foreign, she should of course be ever so humble and show nothing but gratitude for her deliverance, instead of which she had the temerity to ask why it took 6 years to secure her release from detention on trumped up charges.

The disgusting Vine and others have of course stirred up the haters. Oddly, most of the ones I've seen/read seem to be women.

Marina Hyde says it very well

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/22/nazanin-zaghari-ratcliffe-iran-hostage-speaks-out

 Nazanin - sooty123
I think both columnist and prisoner are fully aware why it took so long.

Generally speaking, people comment on the unusual. I'm sure that's news in itself?
 Nazanin - Zero
At the end of the day, you are dealing with a bunch of loonies. The Iranians. Blame them maybe?
 Nazanin - Manatee
Point is she can say what she wants and I hope she does. She doesn't deserve to be pilloried.

Although I suspect she has reflected for many long hours about what she thinks and what she has said and will say. I don't think we will hear much criticism of Iran, out of consideration for others still detained for whom it might makes things worse. We all know they are fascist loonies.

Considering what she's been through she seemed quite well adjusted.
 Nazanin - Terry
That she is angry and wants to blame someone for her experience is no surprise. Even if her physical treatment was relatively decent, must have had a huge emotional impact.

But prime responsibility for her predicament rests with Iran who imprisoned her.

Perhaps her case wasn't given the priority it deserved, or efforts were ineffectual. The truth behind the money apparently owed by the UK may never be clear. Did the UK put money above the welfare of a UK national (wrong?) or refuse to give way to blackmail (right?)

Let her have a rant and move on!
 Nazanin - Manatee
>>But prime responsibility for her predicament rests with Iran who imprisoned her.

Of course, but we all know that and I would think it's a certainty they will have made her agree not to 'insult' Iran, and just in case she was thinking of reneging that no other prisoners would be released in future and/or her parents would suffer if she does. And probably a whole lot more besides that - maybe even that she should blame British diplomacy?

I think it would be difficult to exaggerate the nastiness of the regime.
Last edited by: Manatee on Tue 22 Mar 22 at 21:06
 Nazanin - zippy
>>
>> I think it would be difficult to exaggerate the nastiness of the regime.
>>

I have mentioned before that in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s my mother took in refugees from revolutionary Iran.

They were lovely people, and all types from everyday folk to academics. Some were very afraid and recounted horrors.

I recall some of them were visited by the local MP at the time and others by Govt officials and translators, including my mum, who spoke Arabic but not Farsi. Lots of notes were taken and sometimes they were whisked away in cars, usually one for them and one following always in the early hours and my brother and I would peak out of the curtains to watch.

Mum often got letters back thanking her for her hospitality.

She got no money for hosting the people save for a modest contribution from some charities to pay for food. I recall she was paid for her translation services and the notes had to be typed up and sent off.

 Nazanin - Falkirk Bairn
She had run ins with the Iranian regime in the past.
She ran anti-Iranian Government agenda in that she ran Journalism courses/advice to opposition Iranians whilst visiting he family in Iran.
She has joint Nationality, she was advised by UK not to go.
She went on her Iranian passport
Dual passport the UK Government has limited room to manoeuvre

In other words she brought the majority of the problems through going ahead with the visit against UK Government advice.
 Nazanin - Manatee
Victim blaming is beside the point. Just because she ran some risk doesn't mean she deserved what she got or that the regime is any less to blame.
 Nazanin - Bromptonaut
>> She had run ins with the Iranian regime in the past.
>> She ran anti-Iranian Government agenda in that she ran Journalism courses/advice to opposition Iranians whilst
>> visiting he family in Iran.
>> She has joint Nationality, she was advised by UK not to go.
>> She went on her Iranian passport
>> Dual passport the UK Government has limited room to manoeuvre

Other than the last which is accepted fact for any dual national is there a source for this set of allegations?
 Nazanin - Duncan
>> I think it would be difficult to exaggerate the nastiness of the regime.
>>

Quite.

And knowing the nastiness of the regime she should have considered very carefully the wisdom of returning to the country. She should have kept her head down and her mouth shut.
 Nazanin - Manatee
And knowing the nastiness of the regime she should have considered very carefully the wisdom
>> of returning to the country.

I expect she did. According to her husband, she was told that her detention was because of the money owed to Iran for undelivered Chieftain tanks, which I doubt if she anticipated. A court ruled that the money was owed as long ago as 2009. The UK government would not publicly acknowledge the linkage because it "did not want to encourage hostage diplomacy", which in itself is rational, and says it didn't pay because of the sanctions - but it has paid now.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-56376852

Jeremy Hunt agrees with me which must be a first.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42252741

I'm not saying she didn't make what turned out to be an unwise choice, I just think that attacking her for being "ungrateful" is cheap, unkind and unnecessary, as well as inaccurate.


 Nazanin - Kevin
>Marina Hyde says it very well

I started to read that piece and gave up.

Hyde introduces the article complaining about trolls and then wanders off on her own trolling expedition.

At the moment I don't think the Zhagari-Ratcliffe family will be taking too much notice of the media, social or otherwise, especially click-bait opinion pieces.
 Nazanin - Duncan
It would seem that Nazanin Zhagari-Ratcliffe is less than totally happy.

"The British Government" stood by and watched while she was forced to sign a false confession before being allowed on the plane.

Why did she go back to her home country?
I think it was a junior Foreign Office official.
She wasn't 'forced'.
Why didn't she keep her head down when she went back?
 Nazanin - bathtub tom
I suspect there's more to this story than meets the eye. I find it strange that Boris said she was doing something with journalists, thereby destroying her chances of an earlier release. I wonder if we'll ever get the full picture?
 Nazanin - Zero
>> It would seem that Nazanin Zhagari-Ratcliffe is less than totally happy.
>>
>> "The British Government" stood by and watched while she was forced to sign a false
>> confession before being allowed on the plane.

Its to be expected, everyone knew the Iranians would do that, what did she expect the FO official to say. "No dont sign it" She would soon be whinging if she was still in an Iranian prison because of the FO advice.

In situations like that its "Shut up, do as you are told and get out of there ASAP"

Frankly I dont think we should help people with dual nationality.
 Nazanin - Terry
She had a simple choice with some serious implications. Sign it and get on the plane, or refuse and risk a trip back to prison. Blaming the FO official is unfair - Iran had the trump card.

Why she was arrested, whether Boris compromised her earlier release, or how/if her release was linked to the £400m owed we will never know.

 Nazanin - Falkirk Bairn
The woman went to Iran after being told by a Government Official that it was inadvisable for her to go - she was known to the Iranian Regime for her efforts "to help Iranians opposed to the hardline Iranian Government" told she risked arrest & imprisonment.

She was arrested and jailed.



Last edited by: Falkirk Bairn on Tue 24 May 22 at 07:31
 Nazanin - Kevin
If she's not happy with the confession wouldn't her Human Rights representatives and their lawyers be better going to Tehran to have it rescinded and take legal action against the Revolutionary Guards who made her sign it?
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